The Dow is 146 points lower midday
U.S. markets have cut a great deal of this morning's losses, though the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is still down 146 points midday. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) is hovering around breakeven, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) has made its way into positive territory, as falling bond yields boost the tech sector.
As investors eye more sanctions against Russia, bank stocks are still in focus, after news that the U.S. has joined European and Canadian allies in barring several large Russian banks from using the interbank messaging system SWIFT. Meanwhile, the U.S. trade deficit rose 7.1% in January to $107.6 billion, hitting a fresh all-time high for the second-straight month.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- This analyst bullish on 2 big building names.
- Block stock upgraded on earnings expectations.
- Plus, options traders target soaring FTCH; KAR jumps on billion-dollar deal; and EVBG takes a nosedive amid bear notes.
Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE:TDOC) is seeing a bullish options surge today, after news that the company is teaming up with Amazon (AMZN) to launch Teladoc on Alexa, meaning customers can connect to their healthcare providers on Echo devices. So far, 47,000 calls and 10,000 puts have crossed the tape, with call volume running at eight times the intraday average. The weekly 3/4 80-strike call is the most popular by far, with new positions being bought to open there. At last glance, TDOC was up 8.7% to trade at $76.89, with pressure at the $80 level appearing to keep a cap on gains.
Climbing near the top of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today, First Horizon Corp (NYSE:FHN) is up 30.2% at $23.77 -- earlier hitting a 14-year high of $24.24. This soaring price action comes after news that TD Bank (TD) will acquire the lender in a deal worth $13.4 billion -- its biggest acquisition ever. Year-to-date, FHN is up 45.7%.
Meanwhile, biotech stock Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) is down 30.2% to trade at $11.34, after the company's dismal sales forecast, despite a fourth-quarter revenue beat and better-than-expected losses per share. Year-to-date, AUPH is down 50.7%.